Ye Yunfei couldn't help but reach out and touch the stone sword. His fingers traced over the cold, rough remnants of broken walls and ruins. At his fingertips, he seemed to feel the surging presence of sharp, unyielding Sword Intent—an endless stream of it, gathering within this stone sword sculpture, radiating a majestic aura.
Standing beneath this thousand-zhang stone sword, gazing up at this unyielding symbol of the Sword Realm, an infinite swell of emotion and respect surged within Ye Yunfei's heart.
It was at this moment that an anomaly occurred.
All the Sword Energy, Sword Laws, Sword Intent—everything within Ye Yunfei's body related to the Sword Dao—began to tremble and hum violently, uncontrollably, as if a child who had long been away from home had finally heard the call of his mother.
At the same time, the thousand-zhang stone sword before him seemed to receive a powerful summons from a kindred power of the same origin. Those dense, scar-like cracks covering its blade abruptly erupted with a piercing, blinding sword light, filled with infinite grief, indignation, and hope.
Weng…
A sword hum, as if traversing an eternity of time and space, carrying endless vicissitudes and yearning, rang out like the awakening roar of a slumbering dragon. It resounded throughout the ruins of the Tianjian Sect, even spreading across half of the dead and silent Sword Realm.
Countless shattered Sword Dao laws, like subjects summoned by their emperor, converged towards the stone sword from all directions, forming a vortex of energy visible to the naked eye.
Immediately after, the void in front of the stone sword twisted violently, light and shadow shifting. A hazy, illusory yet awe-inspiring figure, emanating a majestic Sword Dao aura of supreme authority encompassing the cosmos and presiding over ten thousand swords, slowly coalesced into form.
A moment later, Ye Yunfei saw a white-robed elder with three long strands of beard on his chest standing there with his hands clasped behind his back. Endless sword phantoms swirled around this white-robed elder, as if billions of subjects were paying homage to a lofty sovereign.
Weng, weng, weng…
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei saw countless shards of swords from across this broken continent converging from all directions in a vast, majestic tide.
The number of these sword shards was truly immense, dense and packed like a heavy torrential downpour.
Within moments, billions of sword shards were floating in the space around the white-robed elder.
Weng, weng, weng…
Suddenly, one complete longsword after another tore through the void, arriving.
Some of these swords flew out from the ruined continent below; many had been buried in the earth for ages, unseen by the world, and were only now being summoned. Others had traversed here from other nearby spaces.
The white-robed elder stood there, hands behind his back, his expression indifferent and motionless. Around him gathered countless sword phantoms, sword fragments, and a vast number of complete longswords, as if a massive army was clustering around him.
The sharp Sword Intent emanating from the white-robed elder was terrifyingly intense, making Ye Yunfei's scalp tingle. He took several steps back.
At first, the white-robed elder's gaze looked out into the distant void, but after a moment, his eyes slowly fell upon Ye Yunfei, beginning to size him up.
Ye Yunfei immediately felt as if everything about him had been seen through by this white-robed elder in an instant.
“Young man, you cultivate the legacy of our Tianjian Sect.”
An aged, weary voice seemed to cross the barrier of time and space, slowly sounding out.
“Greetings, senior. The Sword Dao I cultivate is indeed derived from the Tianjian Sect.”
Ye Yunfei's heart shook with shock, but he immediately composed himself and performed a respectful bow towards the white-robed elder as he replied.
“From which sword cultivator of our Tianjian Sect does your Sword Dao originate?”
The white-robed elder asked slowly once more.
“To answer senior, my Sword Dao originates from Master Jian Shenzi,” Ye Yunfei replied truthfully.
In Ye Yunfei's heart, he had long considered Jian Shenzi his master.
“So it is him. Hah, good. Jian Shenzi was one of the most exceptional sword cultivators of our Tianjian Sect in his time. That you have received his legacy is a matter of fate. Do you know who I am? I am precisely Jian Shenzi's master. Jian Shenzi was my youngest disciple, also the one with the best Sword Dao talent. Unfortunately, during that battle all those years ago, our Tianjian Sect was destroyed, its members scattered. I have not seen him for many years and do not know how he fares now. Tell me about him.”
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the white-robed elder first showed a faint smile, then fell into recollection, letting out a light sigh as he slowly began to speak.
“Ancestral Master, I actually haven't met Master Jian Shenzi's true body either. I obtained his legacy unintentionally. The general process was like this…”
Ye Yunfei promptly spoke up, explaining in detail the process through which he had obtained Jian Shenzi's legacy, including how he later encountered that ancient sword cultivator from the Sword Realm within that longsword in Huan Jian Gu.
Weng!
The white-robed elder gently gestured with his hand. The longsword Ye Yunfei had previously obtained inside Huan Jian Gu directly flew out, suspending itself before the elder. It gently twisted, emitting faint humming sounds, a feeling as if it had met an old friend and was utterly delighted.
“Indeed, it is Elder Lu. This is his personal sword. Though it has been damaged, his Sword Intent still lingers upon it.”
The white-robed elder extended his palm, gently stroking the longsword, his expression full of pity.
“In times past, how glorious was our Tianjian Sect? Our reputation not only spread throughout the Sword Realm, but we even held a position of significance within the entire Chaotic Void Sea. Our Tianjian Sect was both a part of the Sword Realm and a major sect independent from it. Unfortunately, during that battle years ago, our sect suffered a heavy blow. Our home was destroyed, and over half our members were killed or injured. The survivors became displaced, and in the end, their fates were unknown.”
The white-robed elder sighed softly, his face full of sorrow.
As the elder sighed, all the sword phantoms, sword fragments, and complete swords around his body began to tremble and let out faint, mournful hums together, as if infected by the elder's emotions, collectively grieving.
“Young man, it seems you share a deep fate with our Sword Realm, particularly with our Tianjian Sect. Moreover, you have previously made a promise to a member of our Tianjian Sect that, given the opportunity in the future, you would avenge our Sword Realm and rebuild it. Therefore, from this moment onward, you shall be the inheritor of our Tianjian Sect.”
After a moment, the elder seemed to recover from his mournful mood. His gaze settled once more upon Ye Yunfei as he slowly spoke.
Boom…
Simultaneously with the elder's words, Ye Yunfei felt an enormous wave of Soul Force Energy sweeping over him like a storm, enveloping his entire body.
“Excellent bone structure, a clear and bright sword heart, extraordinary comprehension, and a solid foundation… Good, good! Young man, your Sword Dao talent is truly remarkable. After the great calamity our Tianjian Sect endured all those years ago, to gain an inheritor like you is a stroke of good fortune. Young man, why do you not kneel now? Receive the Heavenly Sword Legacy! From this day forth, continue the Dao Orthodoxy of our Tianjian Sect and see it does not break!”
Suddenly, the white-robed elder's tone grew stern and solemn.